Death of First Stawell Gift Winner

The Stawell Gift begins today at Central Park in Stawell. From humble beginnings in 1878 with a foot race been miners, the meet has grown to be a major annual event on the Australian athletics calendar. Drawing thousands of people to the Stawell and Grampians region for the Easter period, the Gift has seen many international and leading Australian athletes.

The Gift has certainly come a long way since William Millard of Condah won the first gift in 1878. The win, however, was not without controversy. William was almost disqualified. He died in 1939 at Hamilton and as these articles at the time of his death attest, his athletic ability was not only confined to the track. The family name is still common today in the area south of Hamilton. Williams great-grandson, Daniel Millard also won the Stawell Gift in 1997.

Hi Pamela. Thank you for your comment. William was born at Narrawong, Victoria. This is a link to a most useful site, Glenelg and Wannon Pioneers and gives a full list of children and his two wives. http://www.swvic.org/digby/family/millard.htm Merron

Thank you for that information, the Stawell gift started me wondering about William Millard, my grandmother, always told us he was her father, and that he was French, also, that her mother died when she was young. I remember she said she had two (at least) older sisters, one was named Millie, and the other was Fanny, who lived in Murray Bridge, and she had a brother Will who had a sheep-station in or near, Horsham. He had two children one was Alf and the other one was Mary, who married an American Serviceman during the second world war, and moved to the States with him. My mothers maiden name was Norma Millard Lang, I believe my grandfather (Elmo Thomas Lang) came from Hamilton, I think he died in I think he died in 1969 or 1970. Not sure of Nana’s date of birth or death, think it was about 1977 or 78 when she died and she was I think, 86 years old, so her date of birth would have been around 1891.

The mystery deepens, but thank you for all your help and the information you sent me. I will have to be careful what I pass on to my grandchildren.

I have found that Elmo Thomas LANG (b: 1895 Hamilton, Father: Thomas William LANG Mother: Rose SCULLION,) married Mary Maud Daisy Millard (b: 1892 Dartmoor, Victoria Father: William Henry MILLARD Mother: Harriet Marion HOSKINS) in 1890.
William Millard the Stawell Gift winner was William Jackson MILLARD born William JACKSON (per Glenelg & Wannon Settlers site), and he took his name MILLARD from his mother’s third husband William MILLARD. I have been trying to find a link to that William MILLARD and William Henry MILLARD, but that is a little more difficult.

Info about Elmo and Mary from Victorian Birth, Deaths and Marriage Index.